


a bona fide destiny

by marshmallownose



Category: House of Anubis
Genre: Canon Divergence, Gen, Nina is Not the Chosen One AU, based on a Discord concept, not gonna spoil anything in the tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 09:26:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17846786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marshmallownose/pseuds/marshmallownose
Summary: “With this Circle of Light, I seal the Circle of Life,” she said, trying to fit the pieces together only for them to topple and fall apart. “With this Circle of Light, I seal the Circle of Life,” Nina said again, voice pitching in desperation. Nothing. She whirled around to face them, green eyes glassy with frustration. “Why isn’t it working?"





	a bona fide destiny

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The Sibuna Lives Discord](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=The+Sibuna+Lives+Discord).



> just a thirty minute word dump of a concept that martin and lindsey came up with in the grouchat. there's no real ending, so you can decide how everything goes down lol.
> 
> enjoy xo

It was Nina. It _had_ to be Nina. If Joy wasn’t the Chosen One, who else could it possibly be but Nina Martin, Sibuna’s fearless leader? And yet…

 

Patricia could feel Joy’s fingernails digging hard into her bare arm and Fabian’s tense hand clamped tightly on her shoulder as they, along with Jerome, Alfie, and Amber, watched Nina attempt to assemble the cup.

 

“With this Circle of Light, I seal the Circle of Life,” she said, trying to fit the pieces together only for them to topple and fall apart. _“With this Circle of Light, I seal the Circle of Life,”_ Nina said again, voice pitching in desperation. _Nothing_. She whirled around to face them, green eyes glassy with frustration. “Why isn’t it working? _Fabian?”_

 

Fabian opened and shut his mouth soundlessly, looking helpless, and Joy deflated like a balloon against Patricia.

 

All eyes were on Nina Martin and none were on the figure creeping down the cellar steps until he’d wrapped his arm like a viper around Amber’s abdomen. Amber shrieked in surprise, and Rufus pinned her to him, free hand held aloft in a fist; an angry buzzing hummed inside of his grip.

 

“It’s not working, Nina Martin, because _you_ are _not_ the Paragon,” Rufus drawled and Amber thrashed around violently. Alfie made to rush him, but Rufus sneered, drifting his fist closer to Amber’s ear. “I wouldn’t take another step if I were you. In my hand, I have the queen. If you do not do as I ask, I will put it in this girl’s ear, do you understand me.” Amber’s eyes were hazy with terror and Alfie was forced to take a step back, his face contorted in fury.

 

“H-How did you survive the flies?” Jerome asked, shaking with either fury or fear, Patricia couldn’t discern.

 

Rufus laughed cruelly, shaking his fist with the queen inside; the buzzing grew furious. “Did you _really_ think I wouldn’t have exposed myself to the antidote beforehand, Jerome? You’re far stupider than I thought.”

 

Joy buried her face in Patricia’s shoulder and Nina clutched the alchemy bench as though she might faint. Fabian, however, chose this moment to be brave.

 

“If _Joy’s_ not the Chosen One, and _Nina’s_ not the Chosen One, then who in the bloody hell is?” he spat.

 

 _Don’t antagonize the man with the deadly bug at his disposal, Fabian,_ Patricia thought, gritting her teeth. She watched Rufus curl his lip in a wolfish grin, and involuntarily shuddered in horror as he squeezed Amber hard enough for her to cry out.

 

“A very good question, boy,” Rufus said. “One that took me longer to figure out the answer to than I care to admit.” He paused, listening for a moment. His wicked smile turned into a satisfied smirk. “Why don’t _you_ tell them who your brave, little Chosen One is, _Victor?”_

 

Victor sighed heavily as he stepped from the shadows where he’d attempted to catch Rufus by surprise. “You’ve gone too far this time,” Victor said gravely.

 

“ _This_ time?” Patricia blurted before she could stop herself, and both men’s gazes snapped in her direction. _You’re officially a hypocrite,_ she groaned inwardly, as Rufus began to laugh.

 

“And she finally speaks!” he cried, blue eyes crazed. “Sarah always made those impulsive comments, too, don’t you remember, Victor?” Victor turned his face away in disgust. “To think, I’d had you in my grasp and I let you _escape!”_

 

Patricia could practically hear the gears turning in Fabian’s head beside her, and Nina’s ever intelligent gaze cut to her. “You’re _joking_ ,” Nina and Jerome whispered simultaneously.

 

Rufus shook his head gleefully. “Not at all!” he cheered. “Patricia Williamson, the _Chosen One!_  Has a delightful ring to it, doesn’t it? And, _oh_ , this man’s pitiful Secret Society didn’t even clue you in! Oh, how _rich_.”

 

“What the _hell_ are you on about?” Patricia snapped, arm starting to go numb as Joy’s grip impossibly tightened.

 

“Miss Williamson,” Victor bit out. _“You—”_

 

“I _what?”_ Patricia cut in.

 

“Is it true, Victor?” Fabian asked.

 

Rufus chuckled sadistically and Victor slumped. “Yes,” he said at last, and Rufus let out a whoop, still holding Amber. “We…We knew it was you from the beginning.”

 

“Then why take Joy?” Jerome challenged, voice high pitched with disbelief. “Why take a _fake_ Chosen One?”

 

 _“A red herring,”_ Nina whispered, looking as though she'd cracked the code.

 

Victor shook his head. “Partly. Miss Williamson, we knew you’d put up too much of fight if we were to remove you from the school…we also knew, however, you’d pursue the mystery of Joy’s disappearance.” The world was beginning to tilt around her as she began to understand, and Patricia had to steady herself on Fabian. Was it just her or were the cellar walls getting tighter?

 

“So— _So what?_ You just wanted to see me _spiral_ for months on end?”

 

“No,” Victor said firmly, and Rufus looked as though he’d scored tickets to the hottest show in town. “We left you a trail to follow. We knew you’d catch on and get involved in a way more… _beneficial_ to our cause.” Victor almost sounded ashamed, but not quite. More defeated. “We just didn’t expect the rest of you to catch on, too.”

 

Alfie opened his mouth to breath fire, but Rufus beat him to the punch, throwing his head back to cackle like a hyena. “Well, you certainly made everything so much _easier_ for me!”

 

Patricia was shaking her head, feeling impossibly overwhelmed. She couldn’t feel her arm in Joy's death grip. “This is ridiculous. I’m no Chosen One.” Was she?

 

Rufus leaned forward and Amber whimpered; Alfie trembled with untapped rage and it was all Jerome could do to keep him from attacking. “When is your birthday?”

 

“April 4th,” she answered.

 

“What time?”

 

“I—I don’t know…early." Her voice sounded hollow to her ears.

 

Rufus grinned triumphantly. “Four o’clock. _Four. Four. Four._ ” He punctuated each number with a sharp click of his tongue. Rufus surged forward, half dragging Amber toward the table where the Ankh pieces lay, and Nina only just skittered out of the way. “Now,” he continued, “make the Cup.”

 

Finding strength, Patricia shook her head if only to clear the fog. “ _No,_ ” she snapped, trying to steady her breathing.

 

Rufus chuckled low and dark. “I don’t think you understand me. Make the Cup or the girl dies.” When no one moved, Rufus clucked his tongue to the time of a clock. “Tick, tock, the choice is yours, _Chosen One.”_

 

Of all the things Patricia had expected from the school year, this was not one of them. She’d never expected to find herself in a situation as dire as this with a bona fide  _destiny_ , no less. She wasn’t supposed to be special. People like _Patricia_ were not supposed to be Chosen Ones. People like Nina and Joy— _they_ were Chosen Ones. And yet, here they were. Her eyes fell on the small metal scales on the table with all their names etched on little plates. Whatever she chose to do, someone would die that night.

 

_So much for it being the American._

 

Patricia took a deep, steadying breath and stepped up to meet the challenge.


End file.
